Jeffrey Tillman was a powerboat racer known for his successful handling of catamarans in the Fort Lauderdale area. He was killed in 2011, along with one other racers when his catamaran did a reverse flip and crashed inside the Key West Harbor. Thousands of fans watched the death, shocked by the sudden turn of events at the race.
Now, Tillman’s uncle is seeking wrongful death damages due to the incident. The lawsuit names Super Boat International Products Inc. and the president of the company as defendants. There are also four other race officials listed on the lawsuit. During the same dangerous series, another racer also passed away, Joey Gratton of Sarasota.
His family has also started a lawsuit against the same list of defendants. The lawsuit filed recently by William Tillman seeks more than $15,000 in damages. The plaintiff argues that the emergency team at the races was improperly equipped and poorly coordinated the rescue. He claims that it took much too long to pull Jeffrey Tillman from the overturned catamaran, and this resulted in his drowning. The uncle believes that if the emergency crew had been prepared that the racer could still be alive today.
The lawsuit also notes that the other racer who died in this incident, Robert Morgan, had a history of heart problems and was 74 years old. The plaintiff claims that the company certifies Morgan regardless of the fact that they did not have proof he could meet the medical and safety requirements. The lawsuit claims that the officials knew that the catamaran the decedents were driving at the time did not meet the industry safety standards, but allowed them to drive the boat anyway.
Medical examiners ruled all of these powerboat deaths to be accidental, but now family members have something to say and hope that they can secure financial compensation right away.
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